The Rose
by Caillean
Summary: COMPLETE: A love story I wrote awhile back at the same time I was writing my first regency.
1. Prologue

The Rose  
By Caillean Greywolf  
ldycaillean@hotmail.com  
  
The garden showed promise, she thought. Even as the hard frost lay on the February ground, Cassandra thought she saw the hint of the ancient roses blooming. There was green there, she knew it. There was life still left in these neglected flowers, and she planned on finding it. Her eyes glittered with a thought, she would do it, if only for the fact Jareth told her she couldn't.  
  
Cassandra looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Wiping her ands off on her apron she stood, greeting the newcomer with a smile.   
  
"Stephan! I never thought to see you again!"  
  
The dark haired man walked towards her with outstretched arms. "Come here you minx, and give me a hug."  
  
Like a child she ran into his arms, hugging him before she remembered the dirt all over her. "Oh no, Stephan, your coat."  
  
His green eyes flashed with amusement as he looked down at his now dirt streaked coat. "Yes, it is a bit gauche. I'm sorry you don't like my taste in clothing my dear."   
  
"But I didn't mean…" she looked up to see him smiling widely, then laughed. "Must you always take such pleasure at making fun of me?"  
  
Stephan just smiled. "Perhaps. But enough of that. What is it you're doing out in this frigid weather digging around in weeds?"  
  
"They are not weeds Stephan, but roses. Or at least they used to be." She frowned slightly and touched a bush. "I fear that they've been neglected for too long to bloom anymore."  
  
Stephan looked at the bushes and shrugged. "They look fairly dead to me. But if anyone can bring them to life it's you. What is it that they say about roses? They only grow with love."  
  
Cassandra smirked. "Then no wonder they were dying."  
  
Stephan raised an eyebrow at her enigmatic statement. "I trust you and my brother are getting along amicably?"  
  
A rather unladylike snort issued from the redhead beside him. "When have we ever?"  
  
"True, but one must always hope." He studied her for a moment, as if contemplating something. Cassandra wondered what he was thinking, but before she could ask him, he seemed to reach his own conclusion and held out his arm. "My lady?"  
  
They walked out of the crisp winter air into the castle, talking about nothing and everything at the same time.  
  
*****  
  
Jareth watched the couple laugh and make their way into the castle. He turned away from the window and sighed. Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps Cassandra and Stephan would make a good match. No doubt she was growing bored with life as the Goblin King's companion. Perhaps it was just the thing for the two of them to marry.  
  
Shaking his head he glanced over at a crystal. He would miss her. As angry as she made him, she was still beautiful. And as often as she challenged him, he admired her bravery.  
  
Yes, he would miss her sorely.  
  
*****  



	2. Barren

Chapter One: Barren  
  
"How does a ball sound?"   
  
"Absolutely not. If you want a ball, have it at your own damn castle."  
  
"I actually liked the idea." A third voice ventured.  
  
"Of course you do. You love the chance to show off."  
  
"Jareth, that's not being fair." Stephan cautioned.  
  
"You're damn right it's not fair!" Cassandra snapped. "And rude to boot. Just because you hate to socialize doesn't mean the rest of us should be doomed to boredom as well."  
  
"Then you go with Stephan and plan parties every day for all I care!"  
  
Stephan was silent, but watched his brother with a thoughtful expression.  
  
Cassandra, however, stood up from the dinner table and fixed Jareth with an angry stare. "If you hadn't kept me here maybe I could!"  
  
"You forget it was Stephan who kept you from saying the words!"  
  
"But it was you who made me miserable!"  
  
"Miserable?" Now Jareth stood up. "If you have been miserable, that is your own fault."  
  
"My fault? All I have for company is you and your damn goblins." She moved around the table to stand in front of him. "Frankly, I enjoy the goblins better!" With that said, she pushed past him and ran from the room.  
  
"Cassandra, come back here!" He yelled after her. She did not answer. Turning back to see his brother he mumbled. "Damn."  
  
Stephan watched his brother with a slight smile. Yes, it was there all right. All he had to do was get them both to realize it.  
  
"If not a ball, then how about a nice dinner?"  
  
"What?" Jareth had not heard his brother, thinking instead about how angry Cassandra made him. Miserable indeed. What had he done? For that matter, what had he not done for her? He had done everything for her!   
  
"I said, if you won't have a ball, then a small dinner party. We can invite a few close friends, and hold it, oh, say a week from today."  
  
Jareth raised an eyebrow. "On Valentine's day?"  
  
"Why not? We can even exchange valentines, like when we were younger."  
  
Jareth remembered the custom. Everyone would pick a name from a hat, write a valentine poem, and place it in a box. On Valentine's day evening, everyone would pick out their respective valentines and read them aloud, trying to guess who wrote it.   
  
Jareth frowned. "I suppose…"  
  
"Wonderful!" Stephan stood and walked over to his brother, clasping his arms. "I'm so glad you agree, I'll start preparing at once. I'll leave it to you to ask Cassandra."  
  
"What?" Jareth stared at his brother.   
  
"Well, you do have to apologize."  
  
"I do not!"  
  
Stephan shook his head. "You never learn."  
  
With that he also walked out of the room. Jareth frowned deeply. Kings were not normally dismissed in such a manner. It would do him good to marry that damned girl off to his brother. Then perhaps, he could live in peace.  
  
And sleep in peace, without dreaming about her stormy eyes.  
  
*****  
  



	3. Confusion

Chapter 2: Confusion  
  
Cassandra rested her head on the window, gazing out longingly at the rose garden. The weather had kept her from visiting her roses for the past three days. She sighed. Stephan meant well with his Valentine dinner, but she really wasn't in the mood.   
  
Crystabelle smiled lightly. "The weather looks as though it may clear by afternoon my lady. Perhaps then you might visit your roses."  
  
"No," Cassandra shook her head. "I'd still have to dig through a couple of inches of ice. If only it were snow."  
  
"Perhaps, but the ice does keep the roses from harm." Crystabelle mused. She watched as Cassandra jumped out of her window seat and walked over to her crystal.   
  
Placing her hands on the cool surface, Cassandra closed her eyes. Perhaps she could help the weather along. She began to pour energy into the crystal.  
  
"My lady." Cassandra stood back quickly, looking over at the new voice. A stout goblin was standing, rather shyly, in her doorway.   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"His Majesty requests your presence in the music room my lady."  
  
"My music room?" Caillean demanded.  
  
"Y… ye.. yes my lady." The goblin stuttered, backing off. He had heard stories from the other goblins about the lady's temper. It was said at times to rival Jareth's. It was said at some times to be worse.   
  
Cassandra walked past the trembling goblin determined to let Jareth know just what she thought about his intrusion on her private rooms. Just as she neared the music room however, a sound stopped her in her tracks.  
  
The piano.   
  
A haunting and unfamiliar melody assailed her, the notes somber but hopeful. Closing her eyes, she let it engulf her, feeling every note course through her body. It was sensual, this music, seeming to come from nature itself.  
  
"No." She whispered, halfheartedly.   
  
Breaking from her reverie, she slowly walked towards the door and peeked around the corner. The first things she noticed were his hands. He wore no gloves, his slender fingers moving deftly over the keys. Cassandra marveled at the contrast from the Jareth she knew. This man was gentle, caressing the keys with a lover's grace. For a moment she was almost jealous of the piano. Shaking her head she moved into the room.  
  
"Jareth," why did she sound nearly out of breath? "Jareth, you should know better than to enter my rooms without my permission."  
  
"But you will forgive me this once, I hope?" He turned from the piano and picked up his gloves. Cassandra watched with a hint of sorrow as he placed the fine leather gloves back on.   
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"I came to let you know we have decided to hold a dinner party on the fourteenth."  
  
"Valentine's day?" Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "This isn't another one of your ploys to find me a husband, is it?"  
  
Jareth nearly choked. "A husband? No, of course not! It was Stephan's idea after all." How could she know what he was thinking? The idea that she might give into the Valentine's Day fancy and fall in love with  
Stephan had been haunting him all day. Hadn't he just the other day decided a match between the two would be a good thing?  
  
Why was it now, when a possibility, Jareth hated the idea?  
  
"Jareth?" Cassandra ventured.  
  
"What?" He nearly snapped.  
  
"You were woolgathering." She stated.   
  
"Nonsense, I was just about to tell you who would be invited."  
  
"Oh?" She raised one delicate eyebrow. "Who?"  
  
"Who what?" He was fascinated by the way her eyes flashed when she talked.   
  
"Who are you inviting?" She finished, exasperated.   
  
"A few people from Stephan's kingdom, and Sir Liam and his sister from mine." Jareth tore his eyes away from Cassandra and made his way to the doorway. "I assume you will want a new dress for the occasion. Just tell Crystabelle what you want and I will have Stephan find the fabric." With that he stormed out of the room, leaving a bewildered Cassandra in his wake.  
  
"What?" She mumbled.  
  
Sometimes the man made no sense.   
  
Shrugging she walked over to the piano, running her fingers lightly over the keys. After a moment she sat down, closing her eyes and tried to remember the melody he had been playing. Within an hour, she had the song down, and was adding new nuances of her own.  
  
*****  
  
"Damn."  
  
Cassandra raised her hand to her lips, blowing gently on the newest scratch caused by the thorns of the rose bush.  
  
"I think gloves are in order." She mumbled, glancing at her scratched hands.   
  
As if echoing her thoughts, Stephan walked into the garden, holding a slender pair of leather gloves.  
  
"I know you insist on getting your hands into something, but don't you think their beauty should be preserved? We do have guests coming."  
  
Cassandra looked at him sideways. "You aren't trying to marry me off too, are you?"  
  
If Stephan was shocked by that remark, he hid it well. "Too? Who else has been trying to get you to marry?" Was his brother already courting the girl? No, it couldn't be, could it?  
  
Cassandra shrugged, taking the gloves and placing them on her hands. "I don't know, I just get the feeling sometimes that Jareth is trying to get rid of me, so I think then that everyone wishes to."  
  
"Ah," Stephan smiled. "Guilty by association."   
  
"Something like that." The smile returned to Cassandra's face as she stood. "Look Stephan, I've found a green patch!"  
  
Stephan gingerly walked over to the gray bushes she was pointing to and glanced at the stems. They had been cut, he presumed by Cassandra, and they seemed to be green on the inside. "So what does this mean?" He stood up and tuned to her.  
  
"You don't know?" She raised an eyebrow.   
  
Stephan laughed. "You seem to forget my dear that when I was young boys did not play with silly things like flowers. That was left to the gentler sex."  
  
"Silly things like flowers," She mocked him. "Well, perhaps you would care to learn?"  
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because I assure you any woman you have your eye on would be impressed at your knowledge of such delicate things."  
  
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her intently. "Does Jareth know about flowers?"  
  
Cassandra felt the telltale blush creep up her neck once more. "Actually," she said with what she hoped was a cool tone, "He does, which is amazing because Jareth is not at all delicate."  
  
For some reason the memory of his hands across the piano sprang into her mind. Shaking that thought away Cassandra looked at her friend. "So do you want to learn or no?"  
  
With a flourish Stephan flopped down on the ground, gathering a bit of dirt and smudged it around his person. "Am I ready?" He eyed her with a sly look.   
  
She laughed. "Yes, I believe so. Well, almost."  
  
She took a handful of dirt and threw it at him.   
  
"There," she stated, "Perfect."  
  
The two friends collapsed into a fit of laugher.  
*****  
  
Jareth watched the pair again, this time from his crystal. Although he couldn't hear what they spoke of, he could tell the blossoming love was moving along rather quickly. Cassandra and Stephan seemed very comfortable with each other. They would, he reminded himself again, make a good match.  
  
With one last cold glance Jareth turned away from the window.   
  
*****  
  
  



	4. Thorns

Chapter Three: Thorns  
  
"Cassandra, do you have a moment?" Jareth walked into the breakfast room to find the lady in question sitting with a cross look and a slice of toast.   
  
"Of course."   
  
Jareth wondered what had angered her, but chose to take a moment to fill a plate with breakfast items, then find a seat across from her. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Cassandra, surprised at his concern, blurted out. "There's no fertilizer."  
  
"What?" His eyebrows jumped up.  
  
Not noticing his surprise she nodded. "I can't find any fertilizer for the roses. There are no cows in the labyrinth, at least none that I can find. So now not only do I have no fertilizer, but I wonder where this milk is coming from." She picked up her glass with a skeptical look.   
  
Jareth couldn't help it, the look on her face sent him into a peal of laughter.   
  
Hurt, Cassandra looked up. "What's so funny?"  
  
"Nothing my dear, it's just the looks you get sometimes. Really you are most expressive." He stood up and motioned Cassandra to join him. Reluctantly, she stood and walked with him over to the window. "Look there, see that rise of hills?"  
  
"Yes." Cassandra squinted.  
  
"That," Jareth said "is the home of Sir Liam and his sister. They have a great deal of land and raise both cattle and sheep for the kingdom. I have landholders all around the borders of my kingdom and each have a special task. Lady and Lord Michu have a large vegetable farm, Lord Brightly is a well known doctor, more so than perhaps even Talius." He waved an arm out. "Those landholders and more I didn't mention each have a specific task on their farms."  
  
"There are other humans in your kingdom?" Cassandra looked up.  
  
"Why yes, countless others."  
  
"But where did they come from?" She frowned. "They aren't people who traveled through your labyrinth and didn't make it are they?"  
  
"No," Jareth said quietly "those who do not make it through quickly enough are turned into goblins along with their siblings. It's a rule Cassandra." He said when her face darkened.   
  
"Can't you change it?"  
  
"No."   
  
"Well, then where did these people come from?"  
  
"They are half-births, those who were born to parents of a fey human mixture. The laws state that no half birth may reside in the kingdom of the Fey, but because they are immortal neither may they live on Earth.  
So long ago the first king of the Labyrinth invited those half-born into the kingdom. They have come here ever since."  
  
"Amazing." Cassandra muttered. "Are there many?"  
  
"Yes," Jareth said quite ruefully. "I'm afraid the fey are not known to be careful when choosing a mate."  
  
"I don't think anyone is." She stated simply. He looked down at her sharply, but her expression was bland. Turning back to him she continued. "Why are they never invited here?"   
  
"I've never been much of an entertainer, I'm afraid, they usually visit Stephan's kingdom."  
  
"But I thought…"  
  
"They cannot live in the kingdom of the fey, that does not mean they cannot travel there."  
  
"Ah, I see." She shook her head and smiled slightly. "Or perhaps I don't."   
  
"It is rather confusing, I know. But you shall meet Sir Liam and his sister Charity when they come for dinner. I think you and Charity shall get along splendidly."  
  
"And Sir Liam?" Cassandra asked with the dark look returning.  
  
"He is the perfect gentleman, I believe you will enjoy his company." Jareth quickly turned away from her and walked back to the table. Confused by his abruptness, Cassandra merely walked back to the table.  
  
"And for the fertilizer?"  
  
"Ask Caaul to bring you some." Jareth's voice was abrupt, curt.  
  
Cassandra began to open her mouth, to ask him what she had done, but changed her mind angrily. Who cares what she said? Jareth always found something about her he didn't like, why would this be any different?  
  
Indeed, why?  
  
*****  
  
  
The roses seemed to be her only consolation that day. Cassandra scooped another handful of fertilizer on the roses, patting it down with more force than was really necessary. Jareth, always an enigma to her, had been growing more complex with every day. One moment he was laughing, the next scowling at something she said.   
  
With a long sigh she stood up from the flowers. The ice had melted slightly, showing a bit more green. There was still hope for them, and with a bit more care, they would actually bloom this spring.   
  
"If you're still here come spring." She muttered. Perhaps that was what had been bothering her. Jareth had seemed rather interested in getting her married off of late. If Stephan did not work, then perhaps Sir Liam would be a good candidate.   
  
"Cassandra."  
  
She looked up in surprise as Jareth walked out across the gardens towards her. He stopped at the edge of the rose garden and looked around in surprise. "You have made great progress here."  
  
"Thank you." Cassandra muttered, not sure why he was there.  
  
Jareth stood for a moment, silent, then took another step closer. "Cassandra, I need to talk to you."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Us."  
  
Cassandra shook her head. "What?"  
  
"I need to know if you are happy here." He watched her with intent blue eyes.   
  
"Happy?" She turned away from his gaze and looked over the garden. "I haven't every really thought about that. I think I'm happy." She shrugged. "I haven't thought about being unhappy."  
  
Jareth shook his head slightly. "Are you happy with me?" He murmured.  
  
"You?" Cassandra looked up sharply. "I. Well, I mean. You make me angry a lot. I make you angry a lot. I think, oh I don't know what I think. Why are you asking me this?" She snapped.   
  
Jareth stood silent for a moment then spoke softly. "I don't know. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment."  
  
With that he walked away, Cassandra started to follow him, then stopped. Something was troubling him, but it wasn't her place to help.   
  
But what was so wrong with her King?  
  
*****  



	5. Arrivals

Chapter Four: Arrivals  
  
"They're here! I can't believe how excited I am!" Crystabelle gazed out the window with awe. "There must be eight carriages alone for Sir Liam!"  
  
Cassandra, far from ecstatic, glanced up at her friend. "Belle, I don't care how many carriages the damn man has."  
  
The young woman at the window turned with a surprised expression on her face. "What's wrong? I don't think you've been in this mood for a long time. Did his majesty say something?"  
  
"No. Yes. Not really, but he did." Cassandra shook her head and frowned. "He asked me if I was happy here."  
  
"And are you?"  
  
Cassandra sighed. "I don't know. I think I am some days, but on others, I'd rather be anywhere but here."  
  
Crystabelle walked over to where Cassandra sat and smiled. "Do you long for Earth, and home?"  
  
"No. That's the odd thing. I have no desire to return there. I just want to get away from this castle, I suppose."  
  
"So why don't you?"  
  
"You know why. Jareth won't let me go until my fifty years are up."  
  
"Perhaps you can still travel to another place in the kingdom."  
  
"I've asked."  
  
"And?" Crystabelle prompted.  
  
"He said no, of course."  
  
"Well, I'm sure his majesty had good reason." She heard a door slam downstairs and shook her head. "But we have no time for this now, my lady, you must get dressed to meet the guests."  
  
"I'd rather stay here." She curled up in the armchair and picked back up the book she had been reading.  
  
"But my lady…"  
  
"Belle, I have no responsibilities to go down there and greet anyone. That's Jareth's duty."  
  
"Yes, but who said I had to perform it alone?" Jareth stood in the doorway, a slight smile on his face. "Please greet them with me, it would make all the guests happy. They are dying to meet you, you know."  
  
Both Crystabelle and Cassandra stared at the Goblin King with shocked expressions. Then they glanced at each other, not knowing what a scene they created.  
  
Jareth laughed. "The two of you look terribly comical." He walked over to Cassandra's closets and began to rummage inside. By the time the two women got over their initial shock he held out Cassandra's favorite dress. "Here, wear this one, these colors always look lovely on you."   
  
Cassandra opened her mouth, then closed it again, not sure what to say. Jareth laughed once more and began to walk out the door.   
  
"Meet me by the staircase in twenty minutes."  
  
"Twenty?" Crystabelle squeaked. "But your majesty."  
  
"Twenty." He repeated. "I'm sure you can make her look at least passable." With that he walked out of the room.  
  
"At least passable?" Cassandra grumbled, suddenly coming back to reality. "How dare he?"  
  
Crystabelle shook her head. "Well then, let's show him just how wonderfully 'passable' you can be."  
  
"Yes." Said Cassandra, eyeing the dress with a thoughtful expression.  
  
*****  
  
Jareth waited by the staircase, wondering what had possessed him to pick out her dress for her. He just wanted her to make a good impression, that's all. There were no ulterior motives, no reason other than appearance. He wouldn't want to be seen with anyone not dressed their finest, would he? Of course not.   
  
He couldn't lie to himself any longer however when she walked down the hallway towards him.  
  
The fabric seemed to flow about her, like the waves of the ocean. He remembered when she had worn another dress with these colors of the sea, just a few years ago. His birthday. He should have said so much to her then, but Natalie had ruined it all.   
  
Twenty minutes, he thought as she walked closer. I could have given her five and she would have looked just as beautiful.   
  
Her hair had been pulled up, cascading down her back in long auburn curls. Her dress was gentle, her whole appearance was gentle. Everything except her eyes. They reminded him of the sea, but with the electric quality one feels just before a storm.  
  
"I don't think you will ever be able to hide your feelings, your eyes give you away."  
  
"What?" She stopped at his soft words.   
  
Jareth, surprised that he had voiced his thought out loud, attempted to shrug it off. "You are angry with me."  
  
"You insulted me." She snapped, but her eyes softened slightly.  
  
"I meant no insult, whatever I said."  
  
"Twenty minutes?" She mumbled, the spark returning.  
  
"Yes, well, I just meant that you look so lovely that you needed no time at all to get ready." Jareth was slightly taken aback with the truthfulness of his words, but Cassandra did not take them that way.  
  
"You are terrible at the art of flattery, Jareth."  
  
"Of course my lady, that is why I always speak the truth." He held out his arm to her, offering a silent challenge.  
  
Cassandra firmly placed her hand on his arm and gazed up at him defiantly. "Let us meet your guests my lord."  
  
"Our guests my lady."  
  
"Of course."  
  
The two made their way down the stairs, not knowing what a picture they posed for the man waiting below.  
  
Stephan watched the pair descend the main staircase with a small smile playing across his lips. He recognized the flash in Cassandra's eyes, and wondered if perhaps there was more behind their stormy depths than she would admit to herself. There was only one way to find out.   
  
He turned and left the room, calling for a goblin.  
  
*****  
  
Reaching the bottom of the staircase Cassandra laughed.  
  
"What?" Jareth turned with a curious look.   
  
"I was just thinking on your twenty minute comment."   
  
"Still on that, are you?"  
  
"Well, I'm wondering if you can even do your hair in twenty minutes!"  
  
"Minx." He muttered and shook his head. With an evil glance, he took her arm a bit more firmly and marched them both into the drawing room. With a grand voice that Cassandra thought was quite regal he addressed the small group gathered.  
  
"Hello everyone, I hope your journeys were safe and pleasant."  
  
A female voice spoke up. "Safe yes, but pleasant? If the damn roads would stop changing every minute I think our coachman could have found the castle in record time!"  
  
Jareth smiled. "Ah Charity, welcome my dear. You are as vibrant as ever."  
  
"Oh stuff it."  
  
If there were a few gasps and raised eyebrows at the pretty blonde who spoke up to the king, none of them were as great as her brother's.   
  
"Please forgive my sister, your majesty. I fear she had a rough journey and is not feeling very well."   
  
"Sir Liam, I could never find any fault with your sister. She is the epitome of charming." Jareth smiled wickedly at the young lady with flashing green eyes. "I shall have to provide her with a tour of my labyrinth."  
  
"I feel terribly sorry for her then." Cassandra mused, not knowing she spoke out loud.   
  
Charity looked up at her and laughed. "Oh yes Liam, you were right, the Lady Cassandra and I will get along splendidly." She stood up and walked over to where Cassandra stood, blushing. "I am so glad to find another young lady who is not afraid of our dear king."  
  
Jareth frowned down at her, but his eyes were smiling. Cassandra wondered if he felt more than friendship towards the young woman. She wasn't sure why, but Cassandra was afraid she would have to dislike Charity very much if he did.  
  
"Charity, please, don't embarrass the Lady Cassandra."  
  
"Of course." She smiled. "I was simply excited to meet a female my age, or at least close." With a wink she whispered in Cassandra's ear. "I'll be three hundred next month."  
  
Cassandra gasped, then looked at her sideways. "Fibber."  
  
Charity laughed. "True! Well, since my dear king is lax in introducing you to his guests allow me to do so." She walked over to where the rest of the guests were sitting. "This is Lord Brightly, a highly skilled doctor who tends to all the kingdom."   
  
"How do you do? I have heard many things about you from Talius my lady, but even his praise of your beauty was far underestimated." The man stood, smiling. Younger and more handsome than she expected, Cassandra smiled and took his hand.   
  
"It is a pleasure to meet one of Talius' colleagues."  
  
"And this is Lord and Lady Michu, from the western kingdom."  
  
Cassandra smiled at Lady Michu. "I hear you posess gardens to rival the Fey's."  
  
The older woman smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "There are those who say so my lady."  
  
"Then perhaps you might help me, for I have been trying to bring a rose garden back to life, and it is more difficult than I had planned."  
  
"A rose garden?" A delicate gray eyebrow lifted. Lady Michu shot a quick glance in Jareth's direction, but turned back as Cassandra spoke.   
  
"Yes, there is one on the south side of the castle. It's been dormant for a while, but both his majesty and myself believe it might be salvaged."  
  
"Oh do stop being polite Cassandra, you know Jareth told you it was impossible." The voice from the doorway caused Cassandra to smile and everyone turned to see Stephan standing there.  
  
"Perhaps slightly improbable." Cassandra shrugged.   
  
"Allow me to welcome all of you as well." He walked further into the room. "Ah Liam! It has been too long." Shaking hands with the knight he turned. "And Miss Charity, you are even lovelier than I remember."  
  
Cassandra noticed with surprise that Charity's gaze dropped and she seemed almost shy as she answered him.  
  
"You flatter too much sir."  
  
"No more than you deserve." Was his swift reply, then he moved on to the next guest. "Lord and Lady Guthry, how is the horse farm? And Brittany, how you have grown child!"  
  
Lady Michu walked up to Cassandra and started to talk. "About the roses my dear…"  
  
While talking, Cassandra couldn't help but glance over at Charity. Could she perhaps have a crush on Stephan? Her whole demeanor had seemed to change when he entered the room. She resolved to ask Jareth what he knew.  
  
*****  



	6. Manipulation

Chapter Five: Manipulation  
  
Dinner that evening passed smoothly, with the guests talking and joking among one another. Cassandra smiled. It felt good to have company. She enjoyed this castle so much more when she wasn't alone. A glance at Jareth told her he must have felt the same way, she had never seen him more animated.  
  
After dinner, the group retired to a comfortable parlor, where they listened as Stephan detailed the week to follow.   
  
"As you all know the human tradition of Valentine's Day, I need not grace you with a history lesson." A smattering of applause followed this, along with a "thank heavens" from his brother. "In celebration of that holiday, my brother and I have decided to hold a rather old fashioned celebration. In three days time, we shall celebrate the fourteenth day of this month. By that time I will have come up with a little surprise.  
  
"Until then, I will begin the festivities with this." A hat appeared in his hand. "Included inside are the names of all the guests. You will each pick one, and that will be the person you must write a valentine for. On Valentine's Day, I will collect all the poems and hand them out to the recipient. They will then have to guess who their Valentine is! I have here a hat for the ladies and one for the gentlemen. Or at least I should have one for the gentlemen." At that moment another hat appeared in his hand. "Much better. Remember, do not tell anyone who you have chosen, or it will ruin the surprise!"  
  
Cassandra, who sat by Charity, whispered to the other girl. "This all sounds more complicated than I thought."  
  
Charity nodded with a smile. "I think he means to confuse us."  
  
"Cassandra," Stephan walked across the room and handed her the hat. "As you are not interested in what I have been saying, you pick first."  
  
Cassandra laughed, then closed her eyes and reached into the hat. Shuffling through the papers with her hand she picked one and drew it out. As Stephan took the hat around to everyone else she peeked at the name, and frowned.  
  
"Damn."  
  
"What?" Charity looked over at her with a concerned look on her face.  
  
"Oh," Cassandra faltered, folding the paper back up and covering it with her hand. "I, ah, cut my finger on the paper." As she said that, she looked down at her finger and a moment later, a small red line appeared on it.   
  
"Oh dear," Charity's eyes widened slightly, "shall we bandage it?"  
  
"I don't think there is a need, it isn't really bleeding, it just hurts like the devil."  
  
"Then you will not be able to play for us?" Stephan said, walking over to where the two ladies sat.   
  
Cassandra smiled sweetly, shaking her head. "I am afraid not, but perhaps Charity would care to?"  
  
Charity blushed slightly and quickly glanced at Stephan. "I don't think…"  
  
"Oh come now Charity, you are a lovely pianist."  
  
"Thank you your majesty." With that she stood up and walked over to the piano.   
  
Cassandra glanced down at the folded piece of paper again. Perhaps she had been mistaken, perhaps she had read the name wrong. Unfolding the paper she sighed.  
  
No, the name she had drawn was Jareth's.  
  
*****  
  
Jareth frowned at the paper in his hand. No, it wasn't his imagination. There was her name, in the bold handwriting of his brother. Of all the people in this room, he had to pick her.   
  
He had to pick Cassandra.  
  
*****  
  
Stephan smiled as he watched the two glance at their papers one, twice, three times before they would resolve themselves to the fact that they had indeed chosen each other.   
  
The next few days would be interesting indeed.  
  
*****  
  
Cassandra chewed on the end of her pencil.   
  
"Dear Valentine, I write to you a poem that is really true… damn. That sounds terrible." She scratched out the line and began to write again. "With eyes of blue and wit so true…"  
  
She crumpled up the paper and threw it into the already overflowing wastebasket.   
  
"Damn you Stephan." She muttered into the air.  
  
*****  
  
Jareth frowned over the poem. A goblin could have written better. He crumpled up the page and threw it at the wastebasket beside the door to his study. At the same time a goblin messenger walked in. The paper bounced off the creature's head and landed in the wastebasket.   
  
"Er, your majesty?"  
  
"Yes?" He affected his most intimidating voice.   
  
"Ah, your brother would, ah, wish to see you."  
  
"Well, send him in." As the goblin left he frowned at the paper.  
  
"I'm not getting much done anyway."  
  
He sat back and waited until Stephan walked in the door. The first thing he noticed was the man's disheveled appearance. The second thing he noticed, as he came closer, startled him.  
  
Stephan had been drinking.  
  
*****  
  
Charity glanced at the poem she had started. It didn't sound right. Nothing sounded right when all she could think about was Stephan.   
  
"Damn."   
  
She crumpled up the paper and threw it in the fireplace, watching with a sullen expression as it burst into flames.  
  
*****  



	7. Uncertainty

Chapter Six: Uncertainty  
  
Cassandra hummed as she cut back another branch of the rose bush. Lady Michu had given her many ideas about how to help the roses along, but had insisted with a strange smile that they needed love most of all. Cassandra had asked her what she meant and Lady Michu shook her head.  
  
"…You mean he didn't tell you about the roses?"  
  
"Who? Jareth?"  
  
"Yes." Lady Michu walked over and touched a thorn. "You have heard of Natalie, I suppose?"  
  
"I have met the… lady." Cassandra kept her voice calm.   
  
"This garden was given to her by Jareth, but her love proved unfaithful, and he left them to die when she was banished."  
  
"Oh." Cassandra's voice was small. "I had no idea."  
  
"That is why I was amazed he allowed you to try to bring them back to life, although perhaps he has finally forgotten all about her and her evil ways…"  
  
Cassandra shook her head and sat back from the roses, thinking about that earlier conversation. Why had Jareth allowed her to try and bring them back to life? It made no sense, usually he refused to be reminded of Natalie, and this must have been a terrible reminder to him. Unless Lady Michu was right and he had put it all behind him.  
  
"Giving up?"  
  
She looked up to see Jareth standing over her. "Of course not. I'm just resting."  
  
"Good." He held out a hand and helped her to stand. "Then perhaps I have caught you at a good time."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Would you care to walk to the beach? It's a lovely day."  
  
"Pleasantries Jareth?"  
  
"There are some things I need to speak to you about which may concern our guests."  
  
Cassandra wondered for a moment why her heart lurched when he said "our guests". Shaking herself mentally she nodded. "Then lead the way."  
  
*****  
  
Stephan watched the couple walk away from the gardens and the castle with a frown. His brother had better not tell her about the Valentines, that would spoil all the fun.  
  
Lifting his hand in the air he produced a crystal ball, which he held in front of him with a frown. He would just have to make sure Jareth didn't say anything he shouldn't… and then if he did…  
  
"Your Majesty?" A soft voice asked from the doorway.  
  
Stephan swung around. "Charity."  
  
"I ah, do you have a moment?"  
  
"Of course." He smiled at the vision before him. When he had told her she was lovelier than he had last saw her he was telling the truth. Her green eyes glowed like small gems, and her hair was an amazing yellow gold. She was beautiful, and he couldn't figure out how he had never noticed it until now.  
  
"Good." She walked into the room. "I was hoping you could help me with my valentine. I seem to be horrendous when it comes to writing."  
  
"Help you my lady? But that would require you to tell me who your valentine is."  
  
"No, not really. I could only give you characteristics of him and you could help me out."  
  
Stephan thought for a moment. True, the only two names he manipulated were Jareth and Cassandra's, so he had no clue who anyone else picked. There would be no harm in helping her, especially if it meant spending more time with the sweet young woman in front of him.  
  
"Deal. Why don't you start by telling me about his person."  
  
"Well, he's quite handsome, and rather witty. I know him to be an extremely intelligent man." She smiled.  
  
Stephan stood up straighter. What compliments he was receiving!  
  
The crystal was promptly forgotten.  
  
*****  
  
  
As they walked in silence, Jareth worried about how to break the news to Cassandra. As they neared the cliffs, he resigned himself to tell her. He was sure she wouldn't like to hear it, but he knew he had to let her know, for her own well being.   
  
When Stephan had come to him the night before, Jareth knew something was wrong. His brother had been drinking, something he rarely did, and although not quite drunk, he was certainly loose-tongued. The things that Stephan had confided to him last night were perhaps not shocking, but surprising nonetheless.   
  
Now, he knew more than he would like to, and was afraid he was about to break Cassandra's heart. He couldn't let her find out on her own, that was for sure.   
  
"Cassandra…"  
  
"Yes?" She stopped walking, surprised at the sound of his voice.   
  
Jareth pointed over to a flat patch of moss on the cliff overlooking the sea. "Shall we?"  
  
Cassandra sat down on the dark green moss, smoothing her skirts out and looking over the ocean. She sighed. "I truly envy you the years you have had, able to gaze out over the sea whenever you wish as a king."  
  
Jareth sat down beside her, stunned slightly. "You may visit the sea whenever you wish Cassandra."  
  
Cassandra laughed slightly. "I know, but it is not *my* sea."  
  
He was at a loss for words, and just nodded.  
  
"But you did not ask to talk to be about the sea, did you?"  
  
"No. I did not." He took a deep breath. "Cassandra, what do you think about my brother?"  
  
"Stephan?" She asked, surprised. "Why, he is a great friend, I love him dearly."  
  
"You love him?" Jareth couldn't believe what he was hearing. Something inside him was nearly screaming, wrenching at his stomach.   
  
"Of course. He's a wonderful friend."  
  
"Then I don't know how to say this Cassandra, but…" He faltered. How could he do that to her? How could he break her heart? "I'm sorry."  
  
"Jareth, there have been many times you made no sense to me, but you are really pushing it here. What the hell are you talking about? I'm surprised, to say the least, that you walk with me all the way out here to ask what I think about Stephan. You should *know* what I think about him! You are his brother, after all." She turned to him, her eyes brewing like the sea below. "What is going on, Jareth?"  
  
All he could do was stare at her. At her eyes. Their colors swirled together to create such an amazing brilliance that he couldn't think straight.   
  
Perhaps it was her eyes, or perhaps the roaring of the sea, or perhaps the way her lips slightly parted as she gazed at him in confusion. Whatever the reason, he suddenly found himself wanting to take her in his arms and kiss away any thought she had of his brother. He found himself leaning towards her when her voice softly questioned.  
  
"Jareth? What's wrong?"  
  
As if awakening from a dream he looked up. "What?"  
  
"You looked as if you were in another world there for a second."  
  
"Perhaps I was." He smiled slightly.  
  
"Well perhaps you could come back to this world for a moment and tell me what you brought me here to tell me."  
  
"Perhaps I shouldn't."  
  
"Well why not?" She nearly screamed.  
  
"Because you love him."  
  
"What?" Confusion washed over her.  
  
Jareth stood up abruptly. "Because he's in love with Charity." Before she could say anything he stalked away, leaving Cassandra alone and bemused.   
  
"Oh you ridiculous man." She smiled. "I knew that. Did you think it would break my heart?" A strange warmth began to fill her. Perhaps there was more to Jareth than she though. She smiled.  
  
Then a dark thought crossed her mind.   
  
"Or perhaps it has already broken yours."   
  
She turned back to look at the sea. Was Jareth in love with Miss Charity then as well?  
  
*****  
  



	8. Riddles

Chapter Seven: Riddles  
  
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"  
  
Cassandra laughed. "No, you must be joking."  
  
"It's true." Charity laughed. "He quoted the whole sonnet as if it came from his own mind."  
  
"It seems either Stephan thinks you are a complete fool or he is a complete fool over you."  
  
"Oh, I really don't think that is the case."  
  
"Which one?" Cassandra smirked.  
  
"Both!"  
  
The two women burst into a fit of laughter. Cassandra sobered slightly when she thought about the statement she had just made.  
  
"You know Charity, I think Jareth may be just as smitten with you as Stephan."  
  
"What?"   
  
"Well, he and I were out walking yesterday and he said the strangest thing about you. Well, it wasn't really strange, it was just odd." Cassandra stopped for a second, then shook her head. "I'm not making any sense. What I mean is, he said that Stephan was in love with you. I think he was too by the way he was talking."  
  
Charity blushed slightly but shook her head. "Neither brother is in love with me, I assure you. I got Jareth into too many pranks to be in love with him or he with me. And Stephan," a light sigh escaped her lips, "well, he's never even noticed me since I was born. I just sort of tagged along with him and my brother when they were causing trouble."  
  
Cassandra noticed the sigh, and decided that perhaps Stephan should wake up and notice the beautiful woman before him, before he lost her completely.  
  
As for Jareth…   
  
*****  
  
Jareth reigned in Dante and dismounted, taking the pad of paper with him to sit on the same spot he had the day before. The moment he sat down thoughts of her eyes filled his mind. With a gaze out to the sea, he began to write.  
  
"I think of you as I do the sea…"  
  
No, that wasn't good enough. He took the page and crumpled it. Then he began to scribble, not really writing anything, just words.  
  
Soon, he found himself writing names, Stephan, Charity, Cassandra. Cassandra.  
  
Always Cassandra.  
  
*****  
  
Cassandra spotted Dante long before she did his rider. She knew it was Jareth though, and for some reason she knew he would be sitting there on the moss, staring out at the sea.   
  
Walking up behind him, she noticed he was furiously writing. Perhaps it was his valentine for the following night.  
  
"I do hope you're having better luck with yours than I am with mine."  
  
Jareth jumped at the sound of her voice, dropping the paper, watching it float out of his reach and over the cliff. "Damn," he muttered lowly.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't think to startle you."  
  
Jareth turned to her with a frown. "I worked for hours on that one."  
  
Cassandra studied his face for a moment then smiled. "Was it any good?"  
  
"No." Was his sullen reply.   
  
She couldn't help but laugh. "I know, me too. I think I've killed a hundred trees in the past two days, and come up with nothing at all." Walking over to the cliff she sat down beside him and grinned. "Perhaps we should just steal some poem by Byron and say it's ours."  
  
"Or Shakespeare."  
  
Cassandra was reminded then about her earlier conversation. "Jareth, what do you think of Charity?"  
  
He looked at her sideways. "What?"  
  
"I mean, how do you feel about her?"  
  
"She's spoiled rotten, but a good girl at heart." He shrugged. "I don't know, I've known her since she was born, and she's always been a little terror."   
  
Cassandra couldn't help herself. "So you don't, I mean, you're not in…"  
  
"In love with her? Is that what you think?" He glanced at her carefully. "No, I love her as I would a sister."  
  
"Oh." She fell silent.  
  
Jareth turned to look at her. Why was Cassandra acting so strange? Then it dawned on him. She must have hoped he would be in love with Charity so Stephan would be free.   
  
He watched her eyes, they always told him the truth. But at this moment they were unreadable, dark, a murky blue which seemed to glaze over with the threat of tears.  
  
"Cassandra." He spoke softly and placed a hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes nearly glistened with tears. He couldn't bear to see her cry.  
  
That was what he told himself at least as he leaned in and kissed her gently. He was only comforting her, that was all. Her lips, however, soft and innocent, caused him to forget all thoughts of comfort and pull her to him, deepening the kiss and reacting with surprise as she kissed him back with a hesitant passion.  
  
Cassandra couldn't believe what was happening. She was falling, she knew that, falling into a void she never wanted to return from. His lips sent a fire through her body, and a low moan escaped from her throat. This was what she wanted; this was what she had always wanted.  
  
This was how they were meant to be.  
  
She held onto him tighter with one arm as she ran her other hand through his hair. "Jareth," she whispered.   
  
He heard her whisper his name, and it was as if she had struck him. What was he doing, taking advantage of her like this? Clearly she was in love with his brother, and here he was, seducing the poor girl. He pulled back, a shocked look on his face. Of all the terrible things he had done in his life, he had never taken advantage of a woman. Disgust for himself grew within.  
  
Cassandra saw the disgust in his eyes and nearly cried out. She watched silently as he stood up and walked away, leaving the pad of paper lying on the ground. What had she done? He must surely hate her now. She picked up the paper and glanced at the first page.  
  
Oh God, what had she done?  
  
There, written on the paper, was the name "Charity."  
  
*****  
  
The next morning Cassandra sat by the window and sighed again. Nothing seemed to make sense. The way she had felt when she was kissing Jareth was like nothing else. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun it was over. It was over, and he hated her.   
  
"What did I do?" She murmured softly. "What did I do?"  
  
She saw a movement down below and squinted to see. Her heart beat faster. It was Jareth. He was there, standing in the rose garden, gazing at the bushes, walking around them as if lost. Suddenly he stopped and gazed at a single bush, not moving at all.  
  
Perhaps…  
  
Cassandra jumped up and ran out of her suite, knocking goblins over left and right. Breathless, she reached the bottom of the stairs and the garden. He still stood there.  
  
"Jareth."  
  
He turned. The look in his eyes froze her in place.  
  
"Cassandra."  
  
Somehow she found her voice. "Jareth, I…"  
  
"I am sorry Cassandra for what happened yesterday. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I never meant to take advantage of you. It will never happen again, I assure you."  
  
But I want it to happen again! She wanted to scream. Now! I want you to kiss me like you did on the cliffs; I want you to keep on kissing me forever, to never stop. I love you Jareth, damn you, I love you.   
  
But all she said was "I understand." And with a nod, he walked away.  
  
Cassandra watched him retreat with sad eyes and shook her head. Truly, he must hate her. With a deep sigh she walked over to where he had stood. Her eyes widened.   
  
There, in the middle of February, a single rose had bloomed.  
  
Hesitant, she reached out and touched the deep red petals. She could almost swear she had felt warmth in the petals.   
  
"Well," she muttered to herself, "It's been a mild winter, and there is some grass growing already, why not a rose?"  
  
It seemed to agree with her as a wind blew past, and it bobbed its head up and down.  
  
"Perhaps you can convince your friends to grow as well," she whispered. Turning, she headed back to her house, a conversation from earlier etched in her mind.  
  
"They only need love to grow…"  
  
"Yes," Cassandra muttered, "but love for whom?"  
  
*****  



	9. Madness

Chapter Eight: Madness   
  
Charity eyed the poem she had written with the help of Stephan. No, it would never do. When she had attempted to create the poem with him all she had paid attention to was his eyes. Now, as she read over the words, they nearly made her laugh.  
  
"My love, as you stand before me with such strong eyes.. strong eyes? What a mess."  
  
She glanced around her room, settling on a book of poetry. Well, no one said it had to be original…  
  
*****  
  
"Why does it have to be red?"  
  
"Because, my lady, it's the only thing you have that is suitable for Valentine's day."  
  
"Crystabelle, I don't have to dress like a valentine, I just have to write one." Cassandra laughed. "Which reminds me, I haven't written one."  
  
"But you have to!"  
  
"Do I? Yes, I suppose so."  
  
"Well then we'll find something else for you to wear, perhaps then you won't be so grumpy. Oh my, where did this come from?"  
  
"Hmmm?" Cassandra turned around, and gasped.   
  
The most gorgeous dress she had ever seen was there before her. A stormy blue, it resembled the ocean right before a hurricane. Silver and white fabric was threaded through, with small beads and gems to simulate the waves. It was beautiful, and it had not been in her closet this morning.  
  
"Belle."  
  
"Yes, my lady?"  
  
"Where did that come from?"  
  
"I cannot quite say my lady."  
  
Cassandra shook her head. "Belle."  
  
She shrugged. "Ah, well, Stephan did say you needed a dress."  
  
Cassandra laughed. "Very well."  
  
*****  
  
Jareth sat his pen down and sighed. It wasn't his own poetry, but at least it was truthful. She wouldn't know he had written it, but he would be telling her how he felt. Sealing the parchment with a stick of red wax he turned to a goblin.  
  
"Where are my clothes?"  
  
"The black and red your majesty?" A thin goblin asked.  
  
"No, Black with a touch of silver, I don't feel much like red tonight. I've had enough of valentines and love for one day."  
  
"Yes, your majesty."  
  
*****  
  
Stephan smiled as he pinned the red rose to his jacket. The valentine was for him, he was certain. After all, she came to him for help, and had given him all his traits. Why, who else was handsome, clever, and intelligent? Who else had 'strong eyes'?  
  
"Who indeed?" He smiled at his reflection.  
  
*****  
  
Cassandra chewed on her pen as Crystabelle styled her hair. Nothing seemed to come to her mind about a poem for Jareth. Damn him, he didn't let her think.   
  
With a scowl she scribbled on the paper.  
  
"Roses are red, Violets are blue  
Salt ain't sweet, and neither are you."  
  
Suddenly she smiled most maliciously. Taking out a new sheet of paper, she began to write quickly.   
  
Crystabelle sighed and watched as her mistress tore the king from left to right.  
  
"Do you really think that is necessary, my lady?"  
  
"It's truthful!" Cassandra countered.  
  
"Perhaps, but he will know in a trice it was yourself who wrote it."  
  
Cassandra nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. He can't know it's from me." She glanced about her room. A smile lit her eyes. "And he won't know."  
  
"What are you planning?"  
  
Cassandra stood and walked over to her bed, picking a small volume off of the table beside it.   
  
"He won't know I wrote it because I won't have written it!"  
  
Crystabelle pieced that sentence together and stared at the book. "Byron, my lady?"  
  
"Precisely."  
  
  
*****  
  
Charity looked at herself in the mirror. "I look like a box of chocolates."  
  
"Oh you do not, you look wonderful." Came a voice from the doorway. Cassandra walked into the room and smiled.  
  
"Oh, you're just saying that to…" Charity turned and gasped. "That is the most beautiful dress, I think I should be murderously jealous of you right now. Jareth will die when he sees that."  
  
Cassandra's smile disappeared. "It doesn't matter what Jareth thinks."  
  
"Ha! That's as much a lie as if I said I didn't love Stephan."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes." Charity nodded. "I love him. And if you'd just admit to yourself that you love Jareth, everything would be fine."  
  
"But it won't." Was her simple reply. "He doesn't love me, he despises me. I disgust him."  
  
"And that dress looks hideous on you too." Charity smiled, about to say something else when the bell rang for dinner. "Well, I guess we should head down there." Taking Cassandra's arm she walked out the door.  
  
Halfway down the grand staircase Cassandra stopped. "Damn. I forgot my valentine. You go on ahead, I'll meet you down there." With that she picked up her skirts and ran as fast as she could to her rooms.   
  
Crystabelle was waiting for her with a smile. "I knew you'd be coming back. Here you go."  
  
"Bless you Belle." She took the paper and ran back out the door.  
  
Right into Jareth.  
  
"Oof."  
  
"Good God girl, what do you think you're doing?" He grabbed a hold of her arms and stepped back. Then he stopped and stared at her dress, an amazed expression on his face. His eyes darkened.  
  
"Damn him."  
  
He stormed down the stairs. Cassandra, for a moment simply stunned, turned and yelled down at him.  
  
"Damn who? Jareth, what is your problem?"  
  
He stopped and turned, his eyes dark. "Is that dress from Stephan?"  
  
"I believe so, yes."  
  
"Then I stand by my original statement."   
  
He waited for her to catch up to him, but was cold and silent as they made their way to the grand parlor.  
  
*****  



	10. Song

Chapter Nine: Song  
  
Lord Michu laughed. "Good Heavens man, do you expect us to wait all night for the damn valentines?"  
  
Stephan smiled. "Of course not. But the valentines will be the close of the evening, the grand finale if you will. For now, however, let us merely enjoy the dinner and music afterwards. If," he smiled at Charity and Cassandra, "these two young ladies will grace us with their talents."  
  
Both young ladies made rather unladylike faces, which sent the assembled guests into peals of laugher.   
  
Dinner passed as a quiet affair, and the only thing Cassandra noticed was how very quiet Jareth was. He hadn't spoken a word to her once they entered the dining room, and was regarding his brother with a rather dark look. She wondered what her dress had to do with Stephan, and why Jareth was so upset about it.  
  
After dinner, she attempted to find out.   
  
Cassandra couldn't grab a moment alone with Stephan until Charity rose to play a few songs on the piano. She found him standing by a pillar, quite silent as he watched his beloved play.  
  
"A word, your majesty?"  
  
"So formal my lady?" He smiled infectiously. "I will always have a word for you, and a kind one at that."  
  
Despite her worries, Cassandra smiled. "As I for you. But Stephan, why did you give me this dress?"  
  
He stopped and turned towards her, frowning slightly. "You don't like it?"  
  
"I think it's beautiful, it's just that… well."  
  
"Yes?" His green eyes shone with interest.  
  
Cassandra sighed. "Jareth doesn't."  
  
"Really." Was his only answer.   
  
"Stephan, why do I get the impression that is exactly why you sent me this dress to wear?"  
  
He shrugged eloquently, then moved across the room to talk with Lord Michu. Frowning deeply, Cassandra turned to talk to the other guests, still wondering what was up Stephan's sleeve when it came to herself and Jareth.   
  
She didn't get a great deal of time to think about that though, for a few moments later, Lady Michu walked up to her and placed a hand on Cassandra's arm.   
  
"My dear, Charity has grown tired of playing. Will you grace us with a song?"  
  
"A song?" Cassandra murmured.   
  
"Why yes, Stephan tells us you know a great deal of tunes from your land, and write your own as well."  
  
"I know only a little, but I would be glad to play for you."  
  
Cassandra made her way over to the piano. Sitting down she settled her thoughts, and began playing a short melody, simple and sweet. After a verse she began to sing along, nearly closing her eyes in concentration.  
  
*****  
  
Jareth could hardly stand it. Watching her play the piano was sweet torture, that was for sure. Her voice rang clear, and her expression matched the passion with which she played. He closed his eyes as the song ended, wondering if perhaps he had treated her badly for what must have been another one of Stephan's jokes.  
  
Just the night before they had spoken about Cassandra, Jareth remembered telling Stephan that she reminded him of the ocean just before a storm. That night, Jareth had fallen asleep to dream of her, standing beside the ocean, her eyes bright and speckled with the lightning flashing in the distance.   
  
When he awoke, it was with a deep regret for it only being a dream. As he readied himself for the day, it was with a deep sorrow that she only loved Stephan, not himself, and that her eyes would only glow with passion for his brother, and not him.  
  
Then, when meeting her upon the staircase, his heart shattered. Seeing her standing there in that dress, which so uncannily matched his dream, Jareth wasn't sure what to do. Sorrow and anger filled him at the same time, and his anger was what came to the surface. Not anger at Cassandra, but at his brother for knowing him so well.   
  
Yet, in truth, he had taken it out on her, and it was Cassandra he must apologize to. Another glance at where she sat playing told him that would be nearly impossible. The minute he walked up to her, he would lose his tongue. No, he would keep his distance, it was only best for them both.   
  
She finished her song, and sat back from the piano, met with applause from the room. With a smile, Stephan walked over to her and quietly asked her something. From where he stood, Jareth could see her eyes darken. He wondered what his brother was talking to her about, but the next moment she laughed and nodded, and Stephan turned to the crowd.   
  
"I have convinced the Lady Cassandra to perform for us now a song she has been working on for some time now. I confess I was spying on her recently and heard the haunting melody, which she swears is not hers, and that she heard it as a ghost played in her music room one day. A likely story?" A few guests laughed. "I thought as much."  
  
Cassandra made a face at Stephan, then turned back to the piano. "This song was written for a newly acquired friend, who should always learn to trust their heart."   
  
Jareth settled back in a chair to listen to what she had come up with, and was glad he was sitting once the music started. The tune was almost identical to a song he had written long ago. How did Cassandra know it? How could she have possibly come up with a melody so strangely familiar to his own? Then he remembered. The day he had met her in her own music room, he had sat down and played a bit of the melody he was working on. But certainly not the whole thing. And she had added so much to it, that Jareth wasn't sure who should be congratulated on the music. He watched with rapt attention as her hands glided over the keys.  
  
Then she began to sing. Never had Jareth heard such a beautiful sound, full and clear, in such perfect harmony with the piano. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair as she sang.  
  
"O' the storm is building, my love  
The storm will take us away  
O' the storm is growing and brewing, my love  
The storm shall sweep us away.  
  
Do not stand so far away, my love  
The storm will take you away  
But come and stand next to my side  
I'll not let you blow away.   
  
While others stare and cry, my love  
I'll stand so strong with you   
We cannot fail together, my love  
No storm may match us two.  
  
Our love makes us strong, my love  
Our love and nothing more  
Should we but realize the power we have  
With love our hearts might soar.  
  
Oh the storm is slowly dying, my love  
But I'll stay true to you  
For the storm has no power, my love  
Not when your love stays true."  
  
Cassandra held her hands just above the piano as the last note faded into silence. Slightly blushing, she wondered if perhaps no one had enjoyed it, but a small glance at the assembled company spoke otherwise.   
  
Charity stood with wide eyes, nearly brimming with tears, as Stephan stood beside her, his eyes and lips smiling. Lady Michu rested her head on Lord Michu's shoulders, and Lord and Lady Guthry smiled and held each other's hand. Cassandra stood up from her place and faced the company. She began to speak, but that was when she saw Jareth.   
  
As their eyes met, however, her heart jumped. His eyes, his amazing blue eyes were dark, but not with anger. They were dark with some other emotion she couldn't grasp, but which made her pulse quicken. It was as if living in a dream.   
  
Just as soon as it had begun, however, the dream ended. Jareth walked forward with a cool expression, clapping lightly. "Well done Cassandra, you show much talent." As he came to stop beside her he turned to his brother. "And now Stephan, I believe you should retrieve the much sought after valentines."  
  
As Stephan laughed and left the room Jareth spoke softly to the young woman beside him. "I must envy your ghost however, whose song has been blessed with such moving lyrics. You touched nearly every heart in the room."  
  
She glanced up at him, her eyes a question. "Nearly, your majesty?"  
  
His answer was enigmatic. "I cannot speak for everyone, my lady."  
  
As he turned away from her and walked across the room, Cassandra wondered if perhaps the one person she truly wished to touch was made of ice.   



	11. Fiction

Chapter Ten: Fiction  
  
Stephan entered the room with a flourish. "I have the valentines! Now, if you all remember correctly, I shall hand them out, then you each must read yours out loud, then guess the sender. If you are correct," he stopped for a moment and smiled grandly. "Then I shall award you with a prize."  
  
"And what might that prize be?" Lord Michu eyed him skeptically.   
  
"Why, I cannot tell you just yet my lord, it would ruin the surprise!" Stephan smiled mischievously.  
  
"Well, I suppose we had better start this then Stephan, hand out the bloody valentines." His brother said in a dry voice.   
  
"Of course dear brother, of course." Stephan made a mock bow to Jareth and began to walk around the room, handing out valentines as he passed.  
  
As he came to Cassandra, he presented hers with a smile. "My lady, your valentine."  
  
"Oh dear." She laughed. "If you wrote this Stephan, I'm not quite sure if I want to read it!" A few who heard her comment laughed. Charity, standing beside her, began to laugh. "Oh good lord, Cassandra, it's Shakespeare!"  
  
Quickly Cassandra scanned hers, there, at the bottom of the parchment was written in fine handwriting, "A Winter's Tale, Act IV, iv".   
  
"Mine as well. I wonder…" She didn't get to complete the statement, however, for Stephan spoke once more.  
  
"Lady Michu, would you please begin this little game by reading yours?"  
  
The older woman smiled and shook her head. "I must laugh at this, for it is written by none other than William Shakespeare! How pleasing to know he is my valentine, and I needn't guess." A round of appreciative laughs encircled her as she began to read.  
  
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?  
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:  
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,  
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:  
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,  
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;  
And every fair from fair sometime declines,  
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;  
But thy eternal summer shall not fade  
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;  
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,  
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:  
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,  
So long lives this and this gives life to thee."  
  
She smiled and surveyed the room. "How very sweet and what a perfect choice in the sonnets for myself. Now to guess who wrote it." She looked at her husband and smiled. "I would wish for odds that you wrote it, dearest, but I think it fate directed my name in a different direction."  
  
With a slow turn she glanced at all the guests. "I shall guess his majesty."  
  
Stephan smiled. "Which one my lady?"  
  
"Lord Jareth, young one."  
  
Jareth smiled but shook his head. "I am deeply sorry, Lady Michu, but it was not written by myself."  
  
"Ah well then, it was a good guess."  
  
Stephan turned to Lord Guthry. "Your turn my lord."  
  
The evening progressed with laugher as guests read their valentines. Only Lady Guthry guessed correctly, for her own husband had written her valentine.  
  
"So, my lord Stephan, what do I win?"  
  
"I will let you know after everyone has read their own valentine. You didn't think I would let the secret out before the end, did you?"  
  
"Actually," Cassandra mumbled, "I did." Louder, she spoke. "I think it is time for you to read your valentine, Stephan."  
  
"Of course." He opened the paper and began to read, quite dramatically.  
  
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds  
Admit impediments. Love is not love  
Which alters when it alteration finds,  
Or bends with the remover to remove:  
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark  
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;  
It is the star to every wandering bark,  
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.  
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks  
Within his bending sickle's compass come:  
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,  
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.  
If this be error and upon me proved,  
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."  
  
With nearly no hesitation, he turned to Charity. "I guess you, my dear lady."  
  
Charity laughed. "Indeed, it is not me."  
  
"But." Stephan began to stammer, "I had thought…"  
  
Cassandra laughed. "It seems, my dear Romeo, your plan has backfired."  
  
Charity giggled. "I couldn't actually use the poem we picked together, it would immediately give me away!"  
  
"Then who…?" Stephan surveyed the room. Lady Michu laughed.  
  
"Charity let me on to her little game, and I decided to play along." She surveyed the laughing faces and smiled.   
  
Stephan turned to Cassandra and shook his head. "It's your turn minx, and don't think I don't know you had a hand in that." With a lurid wink he motioned for her to begin her reading. At that moment, she knew he wasn't the one who had written her valentine, he was trying to hard to make her believe he did. With a curious glance in his direction she spoke.  
  
"It seems, like many of you, I have also received a valentine from the Bard himself."  
  
"Lack of originality, or simply the best way to express yourself?" Stephan mused.  
  
Cassandra smiled, knowing very well he used Shakespeare himself, and began to read.  
  
"What you do  
Still betters what is done. When you speak, sweet.  
I'd have you do it ever: when you sing,  
I'd have you buy and sell so, so give alms,  
Pray so; and, for the ordering your affairs,  
To sing them too: when you do dance, I wish you  
A wave o' the sea, that you might ever do  
Nothing but that; move still, still so,  
And own no other function: each your doing,  
So singular in each particular,  
Crowns what you are doing in the present deed,  
That all your acts are queens."  
  
Cassandra read the passage slowly, emotion creeping into her voice as she read a particular line. "When you do dance, I wish you a wave o' the sea, that you might ever do nothing but that." She stole a glance at Jareth, but his countenance bespoke of nothing but stone and his eyes were cold. Was it even possible? But no, not even Jareth would know her that well. It was merely a coincidence, nothing more.   
  
She hadn't noticed how quiet the room had become. Stephan walked over to her. "Your guess my lady?"  
  
She looked once more at Jareth, and noticed his own gaze had shifted slightly. As his own gaze met hers Cassandra felt a jolt. There was more life in his eyes now, more warmth than she had seen before. She was filled with a desire to know, she had to know. Perhaps this was her only chance, but did she dare take it?  
  
Stephan spoke once more. "Well?"  
  
Cassandra pulled her gaze away from Jareth and turned to his brother. She knew it was an incorrect guess, but perhaps she was afraid to face what might be the truth. "I guess you, Stephan."  
  
A single eyebrow raised, and he shook his head. "I am afraid not, my lady, but I would wish to be the man who chooses a poem so true to yourself."  
  
Cassandra spoke softly. "You know me so well then?"  
  
Speaking softly as to let no one else hear, Stephan's answer was simple. "It seems I am not the only one who does." He looked back up and turned to his brother. "I believe that leaves you, Jareth."  
  
The goblin king looked up but stood silent for a moment. Then, as the room quieted, he began to read. Cassandra closed her eyes as the words she had so carefully chosen floated through the air.  
  
"How oft, when thou, my music, music play'st,  
Upon that blessed wood whose motion sounds  
With thy sweet fingers, when thou gently sway'st  
The wiry concord that mine ear confounds,  
Do I envy those jacks that nimble leap  
To kiss the tender inward of thy hand,  
Whilst my poor lips, which should that harvest reap,  
At the wood's boldness by thee blushing stand!  
To be so tickled, they would change their state  
And situation with those dancing chips,  
O'er whom thy fingers walk with gentle gait,  
Making dead wood more blest than living lips.  
Since saucy jacks so happy are in this,  
Give them thy fingers, me thy lips to kiss."  
  
  
After he finished reading, Jareth looked up directly at Cassandra. She held her breath, wondering what she would do if he said her name. What could she do? Their eyes met and locked for what seemed like an eternity. His ice blue eyes blazing with a fire she had never seen. Then, as if making a decision, he turned from her, the fire disappeared, and he addressed their completely silent, and watchful, audience.   
  
"I'm afraid I can't make a guess on this poem."  
  
"But you have to!" Stephan said.  
  
"Do I?" Jareth looked around at the guests. "Very well, I guess Lady Guthry."   
  
"No, I am afraid not, your majesty."  
  
Jareth smiled, and suddenly his face lightened. "Pity."  
  
Laughter mingled once more, pushing away the heavy feeling that had descended on the room just a moment before. Charity spoke up.   
  
"Stephan, what might Lady Guthry win?"  
  
Stephan smiled. "Why, many years of happiness with her husband, of course."  
  
Everyone laughed, and complimented both Stephan and Jareth for a wonderful party. Cassandra, her mind full, had to get outside, and stole through a doorway unnoticed.   
  
Walking down the quiet halls of the castle she thought on what had happened just moments before. Had Jareth written that valentine? Or was it merely wishful thinking that had her mind racing?  
  
Coming to the end of a vast hallway, Cassandra stepped out onto a grand balcony, overlooking the sea. The pounding of the surf was muted, but recognizable over the other sounds of the night. Looking up she saw the moon, it's crystalline surface glowing bright and full.   
  
When had she fallen in love with Jareth? It seemed like only yesterday she had stood on this same balcony, crying with fear that he would turn her into a goblin. Today, tears began to fall once more, but for a vastly different reason.  
  
"I knew I could find you here." Jareth stepped out onto the balcony, but stopped a few feet away from Cassandra. "Stephan has an announcement to make, he wanted you to be present."  
  
"An announcement?" Cassandra wiped an eye discreetly, still with her back to him. "I will join you in a moment then." She fought hard to keep her voice steady.  
  
"Cassandra." He took a step forward, not willing to be dismissed.  
  
Her eyes now dry, she turned to him. "Yes?"  
  
"You wrote that poem, didn't you."  
  
Surprised he would ask her, she nodded. "I did. It reminded me of when you would play the piano." Before he could speak she rushed on. "Why do you always wear gloves, Jareth, you have beautiful hands." She stopped, embarrassed by what she had just spoken.   
  
He shook his head and smiled. "Just as you remind me of the sea. It seems the Bard had words for us both, as we can't seem to find the right ones ourselves."  
  
Cassandra smiled weakly. "Does he have words for this?"  
  
His eyes darkened as he walked towards Cassandra. "I don't think a moment like this needs words."  
  
The ocean crashed in the distance, and the faint smell of salt filled the air. Cassandra felt her heart leap just before his lips found hers. The sense of belonging, of coming home filled her again, and she clung to him as if she was falling. When at last he pulled back, his expression had softened, and though his eyes still blazed, they were misted over as well.  
  
"You know I love you. I've just been a fool for too long to let you know."  
  
She could hardly believe what she was hearing. Jareth, the man she could never understand, was telling her that he loved her! It was almost too much to take. She knew she loved him, but it was unrequited until now.   
  
"Jareth, I…"  
  
"You don't have to say anything now." He began to turn away from her, a look of regret schooling his features. "We have a great many years together, and I wouldn't want to make that stay miserable for you by breaking your trust."  
  
"My trust?" She quietly asked.  
  
"Yes, the trust I nearly broke that evening on the cliff. I knew you were in love with Stephan, and yet…"  
  
"Wait a minute, what did you say about Stephan?"  
  
"I know you love him, but.."  
  
"Jareth, I love Stephan, but as one would love a brother. Nothing more." She looked at him and realization dawned. "You thought…"  
  
"Yes. It seems I am a greater fool than I imagined." Jareth smiled suddenly. "I suppose this means you will not be upset at his announcement."  
  
"Which is?"   
  
"His betrothal to Charity, of course."  
  
Cassandra grinned. "It's about time he asked her."  
  
Jareth shook his head. "Actually, I don't think he's asked her yet."  
  
Laughing, the couple walked back into the castle, musing on how Charity would take this 'announcement' her intended planned.   



	12. Epilogue: The Rose

Epilogue: The Rose  
  
The day dawned clear, and a warm spring breeze filled the air. Cassandra made her way down to the breakfast room slowly, savoring the activity around her. Stephan was coming back, he had promised to stay for a least a month. His wedding to Charity was merely a few months away, and preparations were in full swing in both kingdoms.   
  
Singing gaily, Cassandra entered the breakfast room and selected a variety of pastries, sitting down to eat. Jareth entered the room a moment later, looked at her plate and laughed.   
  
"Are you planning a sugar day?"  
  
Holding a cheese danish in one hand and an apple tart in another she shrugged, a smile lighting her eyes. "But of course, your majesty, I am merely getting myself ready to greet Stephan."  
  
"Then I feel vastly sorry for my brother."  
  
"Perhaps you should feel sorry for yourself."  
  
Jareth looked up from his breakfast plate. "And why is that?"  
  
Cassandra smiled wickedly. "Stephan won't arrive until this evening."  
  
Jareth stood and walked over to where she sat, holding a hand out. "Then I suppose I shall have to keep you occupied."  
  
"I suppose."  
  
Laughing, Jareth gathered her up into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. "Come, let's take a walk outside and view your garden."  
  
He smiled and led her out the door.  
  
The minute Cassandra stepped out into the garden she gasped. The heady scent of roses filled the air, and the garden was a myriad of color. Almost all the roses were in bloom. Amazed, she turned slowly and took in the beauty. As she turned back to Jareth, she noticed the look in his eyes that had evaded her for too long with its meaning. She recognized it now, for the same love shone in her own expression.   
  
She reached down and picked a deep red rose. Handing it to Jareth she smiled.   
  
"They only grow with love."   
  
  
*****  
  
FIN  



End file.
